Suffolk Officer Assaulted

Break-in Call Response Leads To Man's Injury

SUFFOLK — A Suffolk police officer was assaulted and injured shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday when he responded to a break-in call in the 500 block of Kissimmee Avenue.

Officer Charles N. Peterson was told by a woman who lived in the house that the man walking between the houses had just tried to break in, according to police spokesman Mike Simpkins. When Peterson approached the suspect, the man identified himself to the officer as "Henry Winkler." The woman identified the man to Peterson as Robert Bailey.

The spokesman said Bailey hit Peterson with his fist on the side of the head, knocking him to ground. He was almost unconscious but was able to call for help, Simpkins said.

When Officer Katrina Babb arrived, Bailey was standing over Peterson, but he ran as Babb approached. Babb, who is 5-foot-5 and weighs 130 pounds, chased Bailey, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs about 220 pounds. She grabbed him from behind and they fell to the ground. Bailey jumped up and ran again, Simpkins said. Babb chased Bailey into a wooded area where he tripped over heavy brush and vines. She was able to detain him until other officers arrived.

Peterson was treated at Louise Obici Hospital for facial swelling, cuts inside his mouth and a severe bloody nose, according to Simpkins. He was released shortly after 5 p.m. Babb strained an ankle in the pursuit but was not treated.

Bailey, 31, was taken to Tidewater Regional Jail. He will be charged with malicious wounding of a police officer, which is a felony, Simpkins said. He will also be charged with assault and battery and threatening to do bodily harm against the female complainant, according to Simpkins.

Bailey, who lives in the 700 block of Kissimmee Avenue, has a prior record for assault and resisting arrest, Simpkins said.